Open Source Software

Aug 24, 2018

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Open Source Software

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Many companies use open source software in their products and services. And some companies "regularly contribute software source code to open source projects under open source licenses or release internal software projects under open source licenses .... The terms of many open source licenses to which (companies) are subject have not been interpreted by United States or foreign courts, and there is a risk that open source software licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on (companies) ability to provide or distribute ... products or services. Additionally, (companies) may from time to time face claims from third parties claiming ownership of, or demanding release of, the open source software or derivative works that (the first companies) developed using such software, which could include (the first companies) proprietary source code, or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license." (1)

Risks

"These claims could result in litigation and could require (companies) to make (their) software source code freely available, purchase a costly license or cease offering the implicated products or services unless and until (these companies) can re-engineer them to avoid infringement. This re-engineering process could require significant additional research and development resources, and (some companies) may not be able to complete it successfully. In addition to risks related to license requirements, use of certain open source software can lead to greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or controls on the origin of software." (2)

Intellectual Property Rights

"Additionally, because any software source code (companies) contribute to open source projects is publicly available, (the ability of such companies) to protect (their) intellectual property rights with respect to such software source code may be limited or lost entirely, and (they) are unable to prevent ... competitors or others from using such contributed software source code. Any of these risks could be difficult to eliminate or manage, and, if not addressed, could have a negative effect on (the companies) business, financial condition and operating results." (3)

Notes

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Adopting Open Source Software in Smartphone Manufacturers' Open Innovation Strategy, the Law and other Social Sciences

We are witnessing the rapid adoption of smart mobile devices globally, especially smartphones. Unlike cell phones, most computer functions can be performed by smartphones.The established players of cell phones have lost their grip on the market and new players have quickly captured the market's interest. Open Source (OSS) can be viewed as a kind of Open Innovation where a company outsource software needed to the community or alternatively a company can contribute its software to the community after turning it to open source software. this topic discusses the Open Innovation and adoption of OSS in smartphone industry. The development OSS and it use in smartphones will be presented. The competition between proprietary and OSS operating systems for smartphones will be discussed as platforms or operation systems shape the smartphone industry.[1]

Resources

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Notes and References

Mohammad Nabil Almunawar, Muhammad Anshari, Heru Susanto, "Adopting Open Source Software in Smartphone Manufacturers' Open Innovation Strategy" (Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, 4th Edition, Information Resources Management Association, 2018)

Hierarchical Display of Open source software

Education And Communications > Information technology and data processing > Information technology industry > Software
Production, Technology And Research > Research and intellectual property > Intellectual property > Copyright